Aviation Expert Makes Observation After Thorough Analysis of What Caused Air India Plane Crash

• An Aviation YouTuber has shared his take on the Air India plane crash after the report of what caused it was released
• According to the report, which was released by the India Air Accident Investigation Bureau, the crash happened after the plane's engine was starved of fuel
• In his opinion, Captain Steve said the reported cause of the plane crash was alarming and difficult to digest

Aviation experts and analysts are still reacting to the report released by the India Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).

The report published the findings of the investigation carried out to unravel the cause of the Air India plane crash that killed 241 people on board.

According to the report, which was published on Saturday, July 12, it was revealed that the crash happened after the two engines of the Boeing Dreamliner were starved of fuel.

It says both engines’ fuel cutoff switches were “transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another with a time gap of 01 sec."

This starved the engines of fuel and caused the plane to start losing thrust and subsequently, crash.

Reacting to the report, Captain Steve, an aviation expert, pilot and YouTuber, said it was stunning.

"The information we are now gleaning from the preliminary report that has been handed over from the AAIB to the Indian Government is nothing short of stunning."

Expert speaks on AAIB report on Air India plane crash

According to Captain Steve, it is his opinion that the fuel control switches, which the AAIB referred to, could not be moved by mistake because they are spring-loaded.

He said:

"The next question got to be could that have been a mistake? Could that have been done inadvertently? No! The answer is absolutely not. The switches, even thought they are called switches are not light switch. It is not just a simple flip off and flip on switch. That's not how this works. This is a switch that requires manipulation. You have to grab it with both fingers. It has a detent to hold it to the run position.

"So, let's say we are going to cut-off to run. It's a spring-loades switch, you have to grasp it, pull it out, pull it up and release it over the detent. That's how it goes to the run position and it stays there for the duration of the flight, unless ofcourse there is a dual engine failure and you need to bring it to the cut off position. But taking it to run to cut off is also the same three step procedure. You have to grasp it, pull it back over the detent, pull it down and release it because it is spring-loaded to the cut-off position.

"At that point when it is in the cut-off position, it will command the fuel valves at the engines to close. That will cut off fuel from the engines and the engines will then flame up. The only that that can be done is by a human being grabbing those fuel control switches and placing them in that position.

"There is no procedure and there never has been any procedure or any mistake possible that those fuel control switches will be place from run to cut off just after rotating on an aircraft. There is just isn't."

However, it should be recalled that the AAIB report did not blame the pilots of the airplane nor did it say they were the ones who moved the fuel control switches.

The report stated:

The AAIB said:

"The Engine N1 and N2 began to decrease from their take-off values as the fuel supply to the engines was cut off. In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cutoff. The other pilot responded that he did not do so."

Watch the video below:

Reactions as expert reveals Air India crash

@brandonchng4234 said:

"Pilot with more than 15 years of career experience here. Once upon a time, a depressed fellow had privately remarked to me about how he had thoughts about pulling both engine cutoffs in flight and ending it all. He was immediately and permanently grounded. It's hard to think about it, but certainly not out of this world."

@sunil_khandare said:

"It’s 2025, and we still don’t have cockpit cameras in commercial jets?! After incidents like AI171, where a simple overhead camera could’ve shown whether the pilots touched the fuel cutoff switches — it’s ridiculous that we still rely only on audio and data. We have CCTV in buses and trains... but not in a multi-million dollar flying machine? It’s time to add cockpit video recorders."

@Selson-q7m said:

"It’s important to remember that in December 2018, the FAA issued SAIB NM-18-33, warning about faulty locking mechanisms in fuel control switches on Boeing aircraft, including the 787. This exact issue could be linked to the Air India Flight 171 crash. The switches may have moved unintentionally, causing the engines to shut down mid-air. Blaming the pilots before the final report is unfair. There’s no conclusive proof of pilot error yet, and mechanical or electrical malfunction remains a real possibility. Let's wait for the full investigation before drawing conclusions."

Lady claims God showed her plane crash

Meanwhile, Legit.ng also reported that a Nigerian lady claimed that she saw the Air India crash before it happened.

The lady, identified on Facebook as Peace Ogbonna Daniel, said she saw the event play out before her like a movie.

She said she felt guilty because even though God showed her the impending tragedy, she failed to pray about this.

Proofreading by Funmilayo Aremu, copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng